August, 2017
www.us-tech.com
Benchmarking RFID Readers for Maximum Tag Performance
By Klaus Schoeke, VP of Technical Sales, FEIG Electronics F
rom trains and warehouses to hospi- tals and libraries, RFID systems are delivering greater efficiency, security
and productivity to workplaces around the world. With the growing popularity of prod- ucts and solutions that offer the convenient connectivity made possible by the Internet of Things (IoT), the pace of adoption is not likely to slow down soon. As RFID technology has advanced,
manufacturers have produced newer, high- er-performance tags to meet changing expectations and specifications, allowing more industries to reap the benefits of RFID. On average, today’s tag technology is increasing by almost 1 dB in sensitivi- ty per year, enabling ever greater accuracy and tag performance. FEIG Electronics’ OBID readers
are designed to support all major types of transponders. The company has sold well over one million RFID readers that can demonstrate up to 99.99 percent reliability. The company is one of the few to offer both readers and antennas for all three frequency ranges with passive transponder tech- nology. FEIG readers are compatible with RAIN RFID, a global alliance advancing interoperability of UHF RFID products and solutions. Yet, while tag performance is
certainly an important consideration when implementing RFID, there are other key factors that can reduce over- all solution performance, even when the latest and greatest tags are used.
Examine the Environment There are a number of environ-
mental factors to consider when plan- ning an RFID installation. Radio waves are susceptible to reflection and will behave differently when reflective materials are nearby. This means that reflective materials can cause “reading holes” in the radio field, preventing RFID readers from seeing tags in certain configurations. Likewise, the type and density
of materials in the environment, as well as the tag density, can influence
On average, today’s tag technology is increasing by almost 1 dB in sensitivity per year, enabling ever greater accuracy and tag performance.
reading ranges and accuracy. The higher the density of the material, the greater the impact on reading range. Certain materials, such as metal, will have a significant impact on performance when in close prox- imity to the RFID tags. The key to dealing with environ-
mental factors is to understand how surrounding materials will affect reading range and accuracy, and to take them into account when deploy- ing an RFID solution. The proper mounting and positioning of anten- nas will be determined by the appli- cation and the environmental factors. Be sure to test and reposition anten- nas as needed.
Reading is Fundamental Beyond factors related to the
installation environment, another key consideration is the sensitivity
Comparison of performance loss when running multiple readers in close proximity.
level of the RFID readers used in the sys- tem. As RFID tags have become more sen- sitive, reader technology has advanced as well. In order to get maximum performance out of today’s newer, more sensitive tags, a good, high-performance reader is essential. FEIG Electronics recently tested the
difference in performance of an older tag and a newer tag, comparing a high-perform- ance (–83 dB) UHF RFID reader and a lower-performing (–65 dB) reader. Tests showed that the high-performance reader maintained much higher power in both sce-
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